Aftershocks
by stardustkr7
Summary: Everything had been going fine until her boyfriend had decided to drop in and help. Normally they could work together with an understanding of the boundaries. But something happened and now she was responsible.


**A/N:** I promised you more JaySteph, didn't I? Loosely follows Here goes nothing. Warning: this does contain smut.

* * *

Barbara was punishing her; Stephanie was sure of it. There was no other explanation for the mountain of homework Professor Gordon had assigned her after the disaster that was patrol two nights ago. She was still partially deaf in one ear from Oracle yelling in her comm link.

"Stupid Jason Todd," Stephanie muttered, furiously flipping a page in her book. Everything had been going fine until her boyfriend had decided to drop in and help.

Normally they could work together with an understanding of the boundaries. They didn't work together every night. Red Hood was still involved in some things that Batgirl really could not be a part of.

"Stephanie! Come down here!"

"Homework, Mom!" she called back, frustrated.

She scribbled a few notes and typed a few more lines of coding into her laptop. Trust the Oracle to assign some of the trickiest computer science homework ever.

"Now, Stephanie!"

The blonde frowned slightly at the tone. It was urgent but not really the angry-momma-bear, forgot to do the dishes tone.

"Okay, I'll bite," she muttered to herself, throwing down the pencil and getting to her feet. After a quick stretch, she flung open her bedroom door and trudged downstairs.

There was more than one voice coming from the kitchen. One belonged to Crystal Brown. The other was softer and lower.

Stephanie rounded the corner and her jaw dropped.

"Stephanie! Look who showed up just in time to help me carrying in the groceries?" said her mother, busy unpacking said grocery bags.

Jason Todd was standing in the middle of her kitchen, with a dozen roses and smile that normally made her weak in the knees, charming her mother.

"You didn't tell me you had a date tonight, young lady," her mom added, shooting her a wink.

He stepped closer, pushing the bouquet into her hands and pressing a light kiss to her cheek. "You could look happy to see me," he murmured in her ear.

"I'm not," she hissed back, quickly hitching a small smile on her face.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked out loud.

"Well you can't go out like that, honey," her mom interrupted, eyeing the tiny shorts and tank top she was sporting.

Stephanie caught the small smirk that crossed his face as he quickly checked her out. She narrowed her eyes and took the opportunity to study what he was wearing. Blue wasn't normally the color she associated Jason with, but damn was he pulling off the navy button down, tucked into black pants that fit way too nicely.

The blue brought out his eyes.

"Go change, I'll find a vase for these," she continued, taking the flowers on her way out of the room.

"What are you doing here?" Stephanie whispered hurriedly.

"Meeting your mom, taking you out on a date," he answered cheekily. "The usual boyfriend things. Now hurry up. I made reservations."

"Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm in with Oracle and Batman because of you?"

His jaw clenched slightly.

"Stephanie … can we talk about this later?"

She stared at him for a moment.

"Did you tell my mom who you are?"

"No."

At least he had respected that little bit of her life.

"Wait here."

He stole a quick kiss before she ran upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. In her room, her mom was arranging the vase full of roses on her desk. Stephanie threw open her closet, sighing in disappointment at the lack of anything suitable.

Stupid Jason Todd.

"Jason seems very nice," her mother began lightly. "And very handsome."

"Yeah, he's a quality charmer. Is this too tight?" she asked, shimmying into one of the only dresses she owned, a short, violet little number that probably showed off a little more cleavage than necessary.

"Hmm…" Crystal pursed her lips, obviously torn between motherly instinct and delight over Stephanie having a date.

"It'll have to do. Nothing else clean," Stephanie decided shortly, grabbing the only pair of heels she owned and slipping them on as she hobbled out of her room. She paused to look in the mirror, ran a brush through her blonde waves, and made her way back down, her mom right behind her.

The satisfaction at seeing Jason's eyes widen and mouth open slightly when he caught sight of her was worth the slight discomfort of an outfit half a size small.

"Have fun. Try not to be out too late," her mom was saying. "I'm covering a shift tonight so I won't be home until morning …"

Stephanie picked up her bag and then fully comprehended the meaning behind her mom's words, blushing slightly.

"Thanks, Mom. Good night!" she said quickly.

"It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Brown," said Jason, kissing the older woman's hand suavely. Stephanie resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Come on, you. Let's get going…" She took his arm as they made their way down the porch steps to his car. "You didn't actually make reservations, did you?"

"Of course I did. I'd be a pretty crappy date if I didn't," he replied cheerfully, opening the passenger door for her.

The car ride was awkwardly quiet.

Stephanie determinedly did not look at him, busying herself with examining the passenger side of the car. She pressed buttons, locking and unlocking the doors, rolling down the window, resetting the radio presets.

"Do you mind?"

"Nope," she replied.

"Look, I know you're still mad at me but I'm trying to apologize."

"Then apologize."

He parked and looked over at her. "I'm sorry, Stephanie," Jason said, looking every bit serious.

She held the eye contact for a beat, trying not to get lost in those killer baby blues.

"Fine. Where are we going?"

The view from the terrace at the top of the building was spectacular, their table secluded and romantic. A bottle of champagne was already chilling. They had barely gotten through the first course before the small talk wore out.

"You're still mad at me," Jason observed.

"Well, yeah! You can't just apologize and buy me dinner and expect everything to be peachy, Jason!" she hissed, leaning forward. "Do you understand what you did? You broke your word when I vouched for you and now everyone else is blaming me for it! Like always …"

She would try so hard and then one thing out of her control went wrong and suddenly she wasn't good enough anymore.

"I never promised to stop killing bad guys," he muttered. "In fact, I warned you that I was not a decent guy."

"I didn't ask you to change for me! I asked you to respect the rules when we're out together!"

He leaned back again. "I'm sorry you're taking the heat for this but I stand by what I did. He deserved to die."

"I thought you understood what it meant to wear the suit, to carry that legacy with you."

"Stephanie …"

"I can't do this without Barbara and Cass giving the okay. It's not just some blonde in a batsuit out there. It's Batgirl. It's me and every Batgirl before me and after me that I represent. It took me a long time to learn that. I need you to respect what my name stands for," she explained quietly.

They fell silent as the waiter refilled their glasses and took their plates.

Jason looked away, eyes losing focus over the lights of the city. He didn't know what to say. Of course he knew she would be mad at him for the shooting. But this was Stephanie; he had expected her to forgive him a lot easier. No, wait, she didn't even know everything, about why he had done it.

Second course arrived.

"The minestrone is good," Stephanie commented lightly.

"Mhmm," he agreed distractedly.

She hesitated then asked, "How do you decide?"

"Decide what?" What soup to have?

"Who gets to live?"

"Stephanie, that's not…"

"Not what? Not polite dinner conversation?" she said sarcastically.

He gave her a look but she matched it, never one to back down from a challenge.

"When I know they're going to keep hurting innocents. When I know it's going to make a point that that behavior isn't tolerated. When breaking a few bones just isn't punishment enough," he growled, leaning forward.

_He's talking about horrible violence, I should not be turned on by that growly voice…_

Stephanie swallowed and leaned back in her chair again, having just realized she was pitched forward as well when his eyes noticeably flickered down. She tried to focus on breathing steadily, not letting her chest heave so much.

"What if you're wrong?" she whispered.

"I'm not."

He sounded so sure of himself.

It wasn't until they were finishing dessert that it finally clicked (give her a break, she had been doing homework all day and her brain felt fried enough).

Jason knew who the man was and had already been planning on killing him. It was just that she had caught him first as Batgirl so he had to take his chance before he was lost in the Gotham city prison system. To him, it was a matter of risking her anger versus the risk involved in finishing the job once the thug was put away.

She pushed away her cheesecake and stood up, wandering to the edge of the balcony.

"Stephanie …"

"What did he do? What did you know that made you justify killing him?" she asked, whirling around.

He stood up as well and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to know this?"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him expectantly.

"He was one of Black Mask's top lieutenants during the time you were captured by him. Its better if you don't remember …"

Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that at all. Her knees felt a little weak and she put a hand on his chest to steady herself. _Get it together, Brown…_

"So it was revenge … for me."

She didn't know whether to feel flattered that one of those horrible pieces of filth who dared call themselves human was no longer alive due to Jason or frustrated at his stupid macho manly move.

Stupid Jason Todd.

"Someone had to," he growled, making a shiver go down her spine and pool low in her belly.

"Wait …" She shrugged off his hands and took a step back. "Jason… I didn't tell you about all that just so you could add more fuel to your vendetta against Bruce! I thought … I thought you would understand my experience and see that I understood yours!"

"I … Its not a vendetta. I was getting you justice!"

"No, you were getting yourself justice!"

"Can you honestly say you aren't happy one more of them is gone forever? After what they did to you?" he asked, advancing on her again.

She stared back at him, her face inches from him. "We're done here. If I ever let you patrol with me again … I'm ready to go home now," she finished, letting her eyes drop from his.

"Stephanie …" He tried to place a finger under her chin, meet her eyes again, but she pulled away.

* * *

They were in the car again before he finally broke the silence.

"I haven't actually killed very many people," Jason said slowly.

"I know."

"You know?" He looked over sharply.

"Yes. Watch the road. I keep telling everyone you aren't as bad as you seem. I almost had Barbara convinced."

"It's mostly just that … well, you know how the rest of the family is about guns. But if someone is shooting at me, I will shoot back. Just to make it clear that I will. But I'm not always focused on killing them. What I do is about justice, same as you."

Stephanie shook her head and looked over at him. "You've never had to explain yourself to me. I get it. I do. I know that feeling, like whatever you're doing just isn't enough. So you do more."

He stopped in front of her house; her mother's car was absent from the driveway.

"I'm not a nice guy, Steph. I told you that."

She put a hand to his cheek gently and said, "I know. But you try."

"I was just trying to do something for you."

She sighed. Jason Todd's idea of a grand romantic gesture was killing one of the people responsible for kidnapping and torturing her. A normal boyfriend would just forget her birthday and then try to make it up with flowers that weren't her favorite.

He got out and opened her door, offering her a hand. If it weren't for the heels she wasn't used to wearing, she would have refused. He walked her to the doorstep.

She was almost at his height. And he still looked way too good to be legal with those eyes and that jawline. Her eyes flickered to his mouth. It was almost impossible to stay … no, wait, never mind; she could definitely be angry with him and still be fiercely attracted to him.

"Stephanie, I know I need to make it up to y-"

He was rudely interrupted when she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a hard kiss.

"… Does that mean you forgive me?" he asked hopefully.

"No, it means my mom is at work and I want your shirt on my bedroom floor now," she answered with a quick peck before turning around to unlock the front door.

"Right next to your dress," he murmured in her ear, his hand ghosting up her back to the zipper.

She quickly let them both inside where he had her against the wall, kissing her fiercely.

"Mmmm … upstairs …" she said, stumbling and kicking off her heels as she pulled him up the staircase. They got distracted a few times on the stairs and in the hallway (especially when he started in on that one spot on her neck that he knew very well drove her crazy). "Oohh, Jason…"

Finally she had him in her bedroom, the navy shirt gracing her carpet, among other things. If she had known she was going to have nighttime company, she might have cared to tidy up a bit.

As it were, she didn't really care now because Jason's lips had once again found her throat and his hands worked at the zipper. Her hands went to his belt. She pushed him onto the bed, straddling his waist kissing him deeply. She felt him groan lowly as she grinded against his hips.

Before he really took notice, it was already too late. She had his wrists pinned over his head and was tying a scarf around them and through an opening in the headboard.

_Yeah, she's still mad …_

Jason raised a curious eyebrow. "Punishing me, Blondie?"

Stephanie glared down at him and pointed across the room at her desk. "Thanks to your stupid, grand romantic gesture the other night, I'm going to spend all of tomorrow on that pile of homework for Barbara's class. You owe me," she said, now pulling off his pants completely.

"And you had better not come too early, Todd," she added warningly, eyeing the obvious, large tent in his boxers.

"One off night and you still hold it against me. I made that up to you, remember? My mouth got really tired …" he recalled, smiling slightly.

Stephanie smirked and took a moment to just appreciate the fact that Jason was naked and tied up on her bed.

"Well I guess you've got me where you want me, Blondie," he said, noting her sweeping gaze across his body.

"Did I say you could speak?" she snapped, climbing back onto the bed. She leaned over him again. "Are you going to be good?"

He nodded fervently, trying to reach up to kiss her but she smirked and moved back again. She teased him, finally allowing him to capture her lips in a hot, wet kiss. Biting his lower lip, she made him groan audibly.

"Say my name." She sucked on his collar bone.

"Stephanie …" he growled and if she wasn't so fucking wet already…

"Do you want me to ride you? Say it," she commanded.

"I want you to ride me, Steph. Fuck, Stephanie … I want to hear you screaming for me …" He gave a tug on the scarf securely tying his hands over his head. Arguably, he could break out of the fabric restraint easily enough; but he had rarely been led astray when playing along with her ideas in bed.

And this was really hot.

He completely missed the part when she found a condom but suddenly she had pulled off his shorts and was rolling it on, giving his cock a slow caress when she was done. "Steph…" Jason groaned.

"Jason," she said coolly, raising an eyebrow and he quickly remembered he was supposed to be quiet unless she commanded.

She took an agonizingly long time removing her own underwear and then she slowly eased over him.

"Ohh!" she gasped at the sudden fullness, bracing her hands on his chest.

That moment, that look on her face whenever he was just first inside her, was staggering and unreal. She would pause, almost like she was going to come right there before getting ahold of the sensation. He loved it. Anxious and impatient, he thrust his hips upwards, watching her eyes widen a little as another gasp escaped her.

Leaning forward, she slowly started to roll her hips, up and down, in a steady rhythm. Her hands pressed into his chest, fingertips digging into his skin.

She was always incredible when she was on top, blonde hair tossed back and breasts bouncing as her pace got a little wilder. He yearned to touch her, started pulling at the scarf again.

"Ohh, god, Jasonnnn!" she cried out, her whole body tensing as the orgasm rocketed through her. She was loud and beautiful and he almost came with her, closing his eyes and trying to control his breathing.

Stephanie took just a minute to regain her breath before she started riding him again, moving just as fast as before. Her moans were even louder.

"Fuck… need more … ohh, Jason …"

"Stephanie… I love you."

She growled and pounded a little harder onto him. "Stop being sweet during angry sex!"

Jason couldn't help but laugh between heavy panting. "If you want angry sex, I could do more with my hands…"

"Shut up and fuck, Todd!"

He met her with his own thrusts, the bed squeaking noisily beneath them. Her nails clawed at his skin, leaving trails down his abdomen.

This time when she came, she pulled him along, completely unable to hold on any longer. The orgasm was even more intense and she rode it out before near collapsing onto his chest.

When Jason was looking at her so adoringly like that, Stephanie forgot being pissed off at him. She pressed her lips to his in a sweet kiss. Hesitantly, she reached up and undid the knotted scarf binding his hands. They slowly came to rest at the small of her back and the nape of her neck.

This was her Jason. The man who was deceptively sweet and would go along with all of her sexual antics just because it made her happy. The man who understood her past and how it made who she was now.

The man who would also kill for her.

They settled in her bed, him wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"There are still things we need to discuss," she said softly.

"I know."

"And I need you to leave before my mom gets off work in the morning. I just need to pretend for a little while longer that she just thinks you kissed me goodnight on the doorstep before leaving," she mumbled sleepily.

"Of course, Steph, whatever you want…"


End file.
